Near Laguna de la Mancha, Veracruz, Mexico Photograph by Dr. Eduardo Galante   Neotropical Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   2,500 square miles (6,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined Critical/Endangered

· Cacti and Kingbirds
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Cacti and Kingbirds

The state of Veracruz, situated in eastern Mexico, contains small patches of dry forest along its central coastal plain, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. These dry forests create an ecological island in the middle of a sea of tropical moist forests. While a humid climate, the area has a long dry season in which the plants shed their leaves for several months. Vegetation that thrives in this weather includes Cordia dodecandra, golden trumpet, calabash, and ear pod trees. Cacti are also common, such as species of Acanthocereus and Nopalea. Many birds inhabit the Veracruz dry forests -- you might spot a Couch's kingbird or hear the song of a magnolia warbler.

Special Features

The northernmost dry forests of the Gulf of Mexico, this ecoregion appears to be an island surrounded by a sea of tropical forests. A variety of amphibians live here, including the endemic green house frog, black spotted newt, and Tabasco mud turtle. More than 280 species of birds live here or pass through on their migratory routes. Of the 85 that are adapted to live in the dry forests, merlins, barn owls, lesser roadrunners, and sharp-shinned hawks can be commonly seen.

	One of the lesser roadrunner's names in Spanish is correcaminos veloz or "fast roadrunner." These ground birds are speedy enough to catch and eat quick little reptiles.

Wild Side

Hawks dominate the skies over the Veracruz Dry Forests--sharp-shinned hawks prey on smaller birds, while red-tailed hawks dive upon rodents. Migratory species, like the red-eyed vireo and magnolia warbler, rest in this region on their long north-south journeys. The rare Mexican sheartail, a beautiful hummingbird with a forked tail, is known only from this ecoregion and the northern coast of Yucatan.

Cause for Concern

Fruit and coffee plantations have replaced the majority of these dry forests. Pollution and logging and burning have also destroyed many sections of the ecoregion. Veracruz is known for its extensive cattle industry and forests were cleared long ago for pasture. One protected area preserves a remnant of the dry forest and serves as a biological station to monitor biodiversity loss.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.